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CASTLE UNDER FIERY SKIES

KATEN NO SHIRO

By Mitsutoshi TANAKA

TOEI COMPANY, LTD. - as SALES All rights, World

Historical - Completed 2009

Mataemon Okabe, a temple carpenter from Atsuta, faces the ultimate challenge of his life: he is ordered by Oda Nobunaga, a fearsome feudal lord during the Warring States Period of Japanese history, to build the greatest castle anyone has ever seen.

- Year of production
- 2009
- Genres
- Historical, Drama
- Countries
- JAPAN
- Languages
- JAPANESE
- Budget
- 3 - 5 M$
- Duration
- 139 mn
- Director(s)
- Mitsutoshi TANAKA
- Writer(s)
- Kenichi YAMAMOTO
- Cast
- Toshiyuki NISHIDA, Saki FUKUDA, Kippei SHIINA, Shinobu OTAKE
- Synopsis
- The story takes place in 1576. After defeating his greatest enemy, the Takeda clan, in the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, Oda Nobunaga (Kippei Shiina) aspires to build an enormous castle on Mount Azuchi, overlooking Lake Biwa, as a symbol of his efforts to unite the country. As architect and chief master of the project, Nobunaga chooses Mataemon Okabe (Toshiyuki Nishida), a temple carpenter from Atsuta, whose talent the feudal lord has come to admire during the dozen or so years after the battle with Imagawa Yoshimoto.
  
  Mataemon is directly appointed by Lord Nobunaga, and later wins the castle design competition, defeating the renowned masters Ikegami of Kyoto, whose predecessors built the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and Nakai of Nara, whose predecessors built the Hall for the Great Buddha in the Todaiji Temple. With the support of his wife, Tazu (Shinobu Otake), his daughter, Rin (Saki Fukuda), and the carpenters and masters of his school, construction steadily advances under Mataemon’s guidance. However, the path to completion of the greatest castle of all time is mined with obstacles.
  
  Oblivious to danger, Mataemon sneaks into enemy territory to find the perfect tree for the central pillar of the castle. Meanwhile, the dark clouds of a new war are gathering over his country. While waiting for Mataemon’s return, his loyal men become entangled in various adversities. Then Tazu falls ill, a tragic strife erupts, and death takes its toll on his men. Can Mataemon accomplish his mission and bring home the perfect cypress tree? Can he help Nobunaga realize his ambitions?